GUIDE | Equitable Gratitude and Compensation for Community Members

This guide outlines the Tamarack Institute’s equitable gratitude and compensation policy for visiting speakers.

Why Gratitude and Relational Compensation?

This type of compensation:  

• Supports the participation of people with more diverse experiences and backgrounds, providing a nuanced and honest set of perspectives on complex issues. 

• Contributes to Tamarack’s goal of ending poverty and economic inequities based on race, Indigeneity, and additional equity-deserving identities. 

• Eliminates the financial barriers to participate in Tamarack events and activities. 

• Is an expression of our belief that lived experience is as critical as any other type of experience. 

Scope 

As part of the Tamarack Institute’s commitments to ending poverty and supporting equity and anti-racism work, we have allocated a portion of our budget for speakers who are neither a Tamarack team member nor board member and who fall into one of the categories listed below: 

• Age: Any youth (aged 15 to 30 at the time of their engagement). 

• Income: Anyone whose income falls below the Market Basket Measure, regardless of whether or not they are representing an organization. Please do not ask participants to provide documentation of their income; we will take their word for it. 

• Equity and Anti-Racism: Anyone who is invited to speak specifically about their lived experience as a member of an equity-deserving community (e.g. racialized individuals, people living in poverty, individuals who are underhoused or experiencing homelessness, refugees, migrants, and newcomers, members of Indigenous communities, those with systems involvement, seniors, those with extraordinary health needs, and/or those living with a disability). Tamarack provides compensation regardless of whether they are participating on behalf of an organization or not. 

Please note: speakers can self-identify that they fall into one or more of the above categories to a Tamarack staff member to initiate the compensation process. This is a trust-based process and speakers do not have to disclose any personal identifying information.  

Budget  

The budget for compensation should be built into the overall event budget and planned for during the annual budget cycle planning period. 

Policy 

The Tamarack Institute will: 

• Share our policy with potential speakers and make it as low barrier as possible for individuals to express that they fall within its scope. 

• Communicate clearly to potential speakers about the scope, intent, deadlines, and compensation, and will provide confirmation in writing. 

• Provide financial compensation that is equivalent to similar professional work. 

• Consider non-monetary ways we can express gratitude and reciprocity which can include words of affirmation, gifting, taking time to listen and understand the needs of the individual, handwritten notes, following up on our commitments in a timely manner, verbally expressing gratitude, offering tools and resources, sharing the workload and responsibilities, and amplifying an individual or groups’ messaging and calls to action. 

• Discuss the form of compensation with speakers. We offer the following compensation options: 

• • E-transfer. The finance team can support the creation of a receipt if the recipient is unable to provide one. 

• • A donation to a registered organization as determined by the individual.  

• • A donation to Tamarack’s Paul Born be a Light Scholarship Fund to support individuals from equity-deserving communities to participate in Tamarack’s learning opportunities.  

• Work toward ongoing, mutually beneficial relationships with speakers, sharing resources, connections, and relationships that we believe might be of interest. 

• Inform speakers that generally, financial compensation provided in exchange for peer work is considered taxable income according to the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA). 

Travel  

• For in-person events, we will provide financial support to speakers to assist with travel-related costs. 

• Speakers who require payment in advance of the event will send an estimate of costs (mileage, transportation, hotels, meals) and Tamarack will send the payment in advance in the form of compensation requested (see above)  

• Following the event a reconciliation of budgeted versus actual expenses will occur. To support this process, the speaker is required to submit receipts and balance the accounting either with a repayment or additional reimbursement 

Indigenous Honoraria, Protocol and Gifting Guidelines 

The Tamarack Institute will: 

• Plan sufficient time to invite Indigenous Elders, Knowledge Keepers, and guest speakers. We will ensure Indigenous speakers are confirmed a minimum of 4 weeks ahead of the event.  

• Recognize and offer traditional Indigenous protocol and honoraria where appropriate and applicable. Protocols are a sign of respect which can include honoraria, tobacco and gifting. It is important to honour the protocols of each community. If we are uncertain of the protocol required, we will reach out and ask the community or Elder as honoraria, protocol and gifting can vary. 

• Follow the recommended honoraria for Indigenous Elders and Guest Speakers offered below. We based these recommendations on the Indigenous Elder and Community Protocols developed by Concordia University and guidance received from Vibrant Calgary. We will seek community guidance and validate that the honoraria we are offering is fair and follows regional and Elder-specific practices. 

• Commit to a baseline honorarium of $150/hour if the activity proposed is not listed below. We will ensure that honoraria are both reasonable and affordable. If we are working with more than one Elder or guest speaker, we will confirm if honoraria are required for each request or each Elder.  

Please note: the guidelines provided do not account for regional differences.  

Recommended Honoraria for Indigenous Elders & Guest Speakers 

• *“Other responsibility” may be facilitating discussions or “circles,” moderating, teachings, ceremony, medicine keeping, etc. It includes any duty or responsibility beyond what is expected of any other participants at the conference or workshop: 

• • Tobacco Protocols - Ceremonial tobacco is organically grown and harvested, it can be ordered from Mother Earth Tobacco. When presenting tobacco as a gift/offering it should be passed to the Elder using the left hand, while using the right hand to shake the Elders hand. During this exchange, both sets of arms and hands will form an infinity symbol – symbolizing the coming together of two cultures, two groups, or two people. Keep your hand open and outstretched offering the tobacco. If the Elder or Knowledge Keeper takes the tobacco, they have accepted your request. 

• • Broadcloth protocol - Depending on the region, broadcloth is gifted along with tobacco. When gifting with broadcloth, ask your guest Elder prior to the event/ceremony what color of broadcloth is needed. Red, white, yellow, blue (sometimes green) are the colors of the four directions; purple is also a significant color; and floral print, which is known as grandmother’s cloth is very important as well. 

• • Gifting - In addition to honoraria, traditional gifts such as medicines, sweetgrass, eagle feathers, hand drum, or locally made handcrafts will be provided for an Elder or Knowledge Keeper. Where possible, it is encouraged to purchase gift cards and gifts from a local Indigenous or equity-deserving business in a nearby community. 

• Additional support such as Indigenous drumming, dancing or singing would require compensation considerations outside of what is listed above. Cultural and creative performance rates vary, meaning we will discuss exact compensation with the individual or group. 

• For in-person events, transportation and parking costs should be factored into the honorarium amount when applicable. 

• For remote events, consideration should be made around accessible internet and access to technology. Often these can act as barriers for Elders who do not have the capacity for online engagement or may need a helper to facilitate the process. 

Non-Indigenous Honoraria 

Resources  

Indigenous Elder and Community Protocols, Concordia University, January 2019 

 Elders Protocol, Vibrant Calgary, February 2021

 Indigenous Protocol and Guidelines, Saskatchewan Rivers Public School Division, 2019